The Kansas City Chiefs spent a lot of resources revamping their offensive line last offseason and at the center of it all was a rookie in second-round pick, Creed Humphrey.
Humphrey finished the 2021 NFL season as flawlessly as you could possibly ask for as a rookie, yet he’s not without his detractors entering his second season. ESPN’s recent poll of NFL executives snubbed Humphrey from the top-10 list of interior offensive linemen and left him as an honorable mention. One NFL executive suggested he was overrated as a rookie and that he needed to see more to ensure Humphrey’s rookie campaign wasn’t a fluke. We know better than to entertain such thoughts.
Doug Farrar from Touchdown Wire recently ranked the best centers in the league heading into the 2022 season, and his opinion on Humphrey vastly differs. Humphrey was ranked as the third-best center in the NFL behind just Corey Linsley and Jason Kelce, two longtime NFL veterans at the position. Here’s just a little taste of what was said about Humphrey:
“Along with fellow rookie Trey Smith, Humphrey stepped into the interior of a completely revamped Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line and helped solidify that position group, putting the Chiefs in position for another deep run in the playoffs.
Perhaps more should have seen this coming. After all, it was just over a year ago that our own Laurie Fitzpatrick made the case that Humphrey could be part of a new and improved unit. As she pointed out last summer, it begins with what Humphrey can do when his offense keeps the football on the ground. He was nearly dominant in the run game. . . Humphrey was also solid in pass protection, allowing one sack and ten charted pressures according to Pro Football Focus.”
What Farrar had to say about Humphrey wasn’t quite as glorious as the clips he had to share of his game. They feature Humphrey steamrolling defenders in the ground game and holding up 1-on-1 against one of the best interior defenders in the game. If the statistical prowess as a rookie isn’t enough to convince you, the tape should do it.
Farrar also mentioned that Humphrey could finish as Touchdown Wire’s top-rated rookie in their positional rankings. So he wouldn’t just be considered the third-best center in the league, but the top rookie from all of the 2021 NFL draft. That’s high praise for Humphrey, but also praise for which he’s deserving.
